The present invention relates generally to an Internet global network or content authorization system and method associated therewith, and more particularly to an Internet authorization system and method where original recordings are embedded with, for example, an Internet or content authorization flag for the purpose of preventing unauthorized use or distribution of proprietary data on or via the Internet or other networked configuration.
The proliferation of consumer devices used for recording and play back of pre-recorded signals extends far beyond tape recorders and television. Consumer devices now include high quality media, such as digital audio tapes (DATs), compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs), and personal computers, (PCs). Along with the rise in prevalent use of these high technology devices, however, is an increase in the unauthorized use and copying of copyrighted works such as audio, video and the like, comprised of signals, such as analog or digital signal, particularly on the Internet.
Consequently, there is a growing need to protect the proprietary rights of copyright owners, for example, that distribute their works such as products and/or services, in electronic form. Copyright owners include entertainment and education service providers, such as music recording and software industry companies. Their products and/or services include music, music videos, movies, games, educational information, and other audio or video information applications. Each of these service providers distribute a combination of audio and/or video, or other data through a network, including satellite, cable and networks such as the Internet, via one or more Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
Moreover, this data is generally stored on temporary or permanent storage media that is distributed through physical or electronic channels. Physically, the data is generally distributed through retail and point-of-sale stores and outlets. Electronically, the data is distributed over the Internet and intranets (i.e. electronic mail). These storage media include magnetic tapes (audio and video cassettes), computer floppy disks, and high-quality media, such as CDs, DVDs, PCs and laser discs.
Today""s problem is actualized when proprietary data, such as music, is accessed and/or retrieved and/or copied and/or distributed over the Internet without the service provider""s permission. This unauthorized use of proprietary data presents an on-going problem for service providers: namely, significantly reduced sales. Pirate copying over the Internet has been estimated as costing the music and software industries billions of dollars each year in lost revenues.
Prior art devices have not solved this problem. U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,950, incorporated herein by reference, describes a method for processing a coded information signal, which may comprise video and/or audio information, that is eventually supplied to a television. Referring to Prior Art FIG. 1, an information signal INF, which is transmitted in coded form CINF from a signal source RC to a signal receiver 4, 5, is decoded at the receiver 4, 5, and at the same time marked MINF by the introduction of an identification information ID, which is characteristic of the receiver or its possessor. The signal from a video disc RC carrying a coded program is decoded and marked before it is supplied to a television set 6.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,471, incorporated herein by reference, describes a method of encoding a given recorded signal, made up of a host of frequencies, comprising modifying the recorded signal to selectively alter in a known manner a portion of the recorded signal to produce a machine recognizable start code. The machine recognizable start code is generally imperceptible to normal human recognition when the recorded signal is played in its intended manner. Referring to Prior Art FIG. 2, which gives an overall view of the method of encoding, the audio signal 10 is processed through a filter and certain scanning frequencies 11 are separated from the signal for separate processing. The scanning frequencies 11 first undergo a review 12 to locate a proper location within the signal to be encoded by placing of a start code.
Once an appropriate location within the signal is determined, the audio signal is replayed, and at the appropriate location, the start code is introduced by means of a device 13. Digitizing of the signal is carried out at 14 and provides a recognizable fingerprint 16. Thus, in recording of the signal, a xe2x80x9cfingerprintxe2x80x9d is generated, a start code is introduced into the audio signal, and the signal is recorded at 18. The processing of the scanning frequencies introduces a certain fixed delay which is compensated for by delaying of the other frequencies at device 20.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,735, incorporated herein by reference, describes a system for embedding a code signal in an audio signal in a manner such that the composite signal is not readily distinguishable from the original audio signal by listening, and in a manner such that the code signal cannot be readily removed or obscured without simultaneously degrading the quality of the audio signal.
Referring to Prior Art FIG. 3, a sequence of code symbols to be embedded in an audio signal is derived as the output of an Error Control Encoder 25. The resulting sequence of code symbols is further encoded by means of a Spread Spectra Modulator 26 to produce a code signal that represents the sequence of code symbols. The code signal is then modified by means of a Code Signal Shaper 27 to produce a modified code signal with frequency component levels. The dynamically modified code signal is then combined with the original audio signal by means of a Signal Combiner 28 to produce a composite audio signal, which is then recorded on a recording medium, such as a DAT, or is otherwise subjected to a transmission channel.
WO 9831010, incorporated herein by reference, describes an apparatus for monitoring and preventing unauthorized copying of digital data. The apparatus includes a recording device for recording digital data on a first storage medium, and a reading device for reading from a second storage medium. A computer, which is connected to the recording device and the reading device over a bus, is programmed to execute pre-mastering instructions, as shown in Prior Art FIG. 4, to enable reading of data from the second storage medium to record the data on the first storage medium.
The computer in WO 9831010 includes instructions for inhibiting copying of the data when the data is subject to copyright, and includes the detection of a notice of copyright in the data. The pre-mastering instructions are inhibited from reading the data, which includes the copyright notice, so as to prevent any recording of the data on the first medium.
However, none of the prior art devices incorporated by reference above offer protection against unauthorized use of proprietary data over, for example, the Internet. That is, I have determined that there are unique considerations relating to authorizing appropriate use of data over networks, such as the Internet, that have not heretofore been considered.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide an Internet or content authorization system for controlling access to, and use of, proprietary data that is distributed electronically. With current technology, there also remains a need to provide a system for encoding original recordings with an authorization flag whose existence will alleviate the problems of unauthorized activity of propriety data, such as certain Internet uses, without significantly affecting the quality of the proprietary data.
The authorization system, I have determined, will advantageously allow selective control of differing kinds of authorized uses that may be made. For example, the authorization system will allow no copying, a limited number of copying, or an unlimited number of copying. Similarly, the authorization system will also allow selective control of single listening/viewing, a limited number of listening/viewing, an unlimited number of listening/viewing, or multiple listening/viewing.
In addition, the authorization system advantageously provides the capability to identify the source, of an unauthorized use of proprietary data on a network, such as the Internet. The present invention provides a system having the above and other advantages.
Accordingly, a feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel and useful authorization system in which the above disadvantages are minimized.
A more specific feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a system for encoding original recordings with an authorization system, which among other things, may solve the problems of unauthorized activity of proprietary data signals over networks, such as the Internet.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by an Internet authorization system that is capable of identifying the existence and source of unauthorized use and copying of proprietary data via the Internet.
The Internet authorization flagging system of the present invention is compatible with the xe2x80x9cMulti-Media Copy Management Systemxe2x80x9d described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,719,937, incorporated herein by reference. The present invention is also compatible with other methods for processing or embedding coded signals as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,595,950, 4,972,471, 5,319,735, which are incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, the present invention may be used in combination with a copyright flag as described in PCT application WO 9831010, also incorporated herein by reference.
In one aspect of the invention, an Internet authorization flag can be recorded on a recording medium or transmitted electronically, by transforming the flag, using a spread spectrum technique, into a modified code signal representing digital information, in such a way that the modified code signal can be combined with an original audio signal to form a composite audio signal. This composite audio signal is not easily differentiable from the original audio signal by ordinary listening. In other words, the modified code signal and the audio signal are combined to provide a composite audio signal in which the authorization flag is embedded in the audio as, or a function of, the modified code signal.
More specifically, the digital information (containing, for example, the Internet authorization flag) may, in one alternative, be represented by a sequence of code symbols, which in turn is represented by a pseudo-random number sequence that is detectable by a matched filter. Each composite audio signal can now be recorded or subjected to a transmission channel, which process may distort and/or modify the composite audio signal. The digital information can, nevertheless, be recovered from the distorted or modified composite audio signal by a method that is a compliment or inverse of the method that produced the composite audio signal. In this way, the recovered digital information is reliable without any degrading of the quality of the composite audio signal or original information.
To achieve these features and advantages, the present invention provides an Internet authorization system for preventing Internet access and unauthorized use of proprietary data over the Internet. The system comprises: (a) a plurality of interconnected general purpose computers that are networked together in at least one of an intranet and Internet arrangement; (b) encoding means for encoding an Internet authorization flag, indicating authorized Internet access to proprietary data stored on a media, with at least one of a continuously and periodically encoded sequence, and optionally compressing the encoded Internet authorization flag; (c) media storage means for storing, in a media, proprietary data and the encoded Internet authorization flag; (d) a network system means for distributing the media to at least one of an Internet service provider, a network provider, a site provider and an authorized broker of the media; (e) searching means for searching data, contained on at least one of the Internet, intranet and network, for existence of an Internet authorization flag when a user accesses a web site on at least one of the Internet, intranet and network; and (f) printing means for printing a report indicating a location of each unauthorized Internet use of the media not containing an Internet authorization flag.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides for a content authorization system for at least one of preventing content access and unauthorized use of proprietary data over at least one of a global network, local network and the Internet. The content authorization system comprises: (a) a plurality of at least one of workstations and computers, each including a first storage device for storing first data therein; and (b) a network connectable to said plurality of at least one of workstations and computers. The network includes a second storage device for storing second data thereon. The network is managed by or interconnectable with at least one of an Internet service provider, a network provider, a site provider, and an authorized broker or distributor of the proprietary data. The network stores proprietary data including at least one authorization data flag indicating at least one authorization level indicative of authorized usage of the proprietary data for at least one of the network and plurality of at least one of workstations and computers.
A further embodiment of the present invention includes a method of using an Internet authorization system for preventing Internet access and unauthorized use of proprietary data over the Internet. The method includes the steps of: (a) encoding an Internet authorization flag, indicating authorized Internet access to proprietary data stored on a media, with at least one of a continuously and periodically encoded sequence, and optionally compressing the encoded Internet authorization flag; (b) storing, in a media, the proprietary data and the encoded Internet authorization flag; (c) distributing the media to at least one of an Internet service provider, a site provider, a network provider, and an authorized broker of the media; (d) providing access to the proprietary data stored on the media responsive to the Internet authorization flag indicating authorized Internet access to the proprietary data; (e) searching data, contained on at least one of the Internet, intranet and network, for existence of the Internet authorization flag when a user accesses a web site on either the Internet, intranet and network; and (f) printing a report indicating a location of each unauthorized Internet use of said media not containing an Internet authorization flag.
Another process embodiment of the present invention includes a method of using a network authorization system for preventing network access and unauthorized use of proprietary data over the network. The method includes the steps of: (a) encoding a network flag, indicating authorized network access to proprietary data stored on a media, with at least one of a continuously and periodically encoded sequence, and optionally compressing the encoded network authorization flag; (b) storing, in a media, the proprietary data and the encoded network authorization flag; (c) distributing media to at least one of a network service provider, a site provider and an authorized broker of the media; (d) providing access to the proprietary data stored on the media responsive to the network authorization flag indicating authorized network access to the proprietary data; (e) searching data, contained on at least one of the Internet, intranet and network, for existence of an Internet authorization flag when a user accesses a web site on at least one of the Internet, intranet and network; and (f) printing a report indicating a location of each unauthorized network use of the media not containing a network authorization flag.
A further embodiment of the present invention includes a method for using a content authorization system for preventing electronic access and unauthorized use of proprietary data from a first destination to a second destination. The method includes the steps of: (a) encoding a content authorization flag, indicating authorized electronic access to proprietary data stored on a media, with at least one of a continuously and periodically encoded sequence, and optionally compressing the content authorization flag; (b) storing, in a media, the proprietary data and the encoded content authorization flag; (c) distributing the media to at least one of an Internet service provider, network service provider, site provider, and an authorized broker of the media; (d) providing access to the proprietary data stored on the media responsive to a content authorization flag indicating authorized electronic access to the proprietary data; (e) searching data, contained on at least one of the Internet, intranet and network, for existence of the Internet authorization flag when a user accesses a web site on at least one of said Internet, intranet and network; and (f) printing a report indicating a location of each unauthorized content use of the media not containing a content authorization flag.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
The scope of the invention, together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention.